Rentals tested next month

A universal WOF is a bad idea for a number of reasons. Most criteria are adequately covered under other legislation & RTAct. More cost for landlords, rental increases fir tenants. Different properties from Cape Reinga to Bluff temperature zones, different needs & clientele wants & preferences, little flats vs houses etc. What's next , a WOF for owner occupied surely. A WOF to bring up kids would perhaps make more sense.

Where are the criteria spelt out and what happens if a private home occupied by the owners doesn't measure up - does it become uninhabitable or are they to be censured or fined. Or is this just a swing against the despised landlord fraternity who are too clever to invest in shares and the like??

Perhaps the tenants should be graded too. Some want a sparkling house, where one can eat off the floor, but when they leave, it is no better than a pig-sty. I say, grade tenants too!! I have spent a lot of money making houses to a very high standard, only to have them in a mess when they leave.

They also need to conduct a regular WOF after tenants move in to ensure that they look after a property. Landlords cannot ensure that homes are aired and that heating/cooling/ dehumidifying equipment installed is utilised efficiently. It is common for tenants to not utilise what is provided so as to save money on power. As such not the landlords fault when damp creeps in, damages health and the property.

I am a bit concerned that the researchers seem to have already made up their minds about the outcome of the survey. They do not seem to be taking a very scientifically based approach and seem to have already made up their mind about the outcome. I wonder what sort of selection criteria there will be for including a property in the survey. Why are they excluding 70% of all properties that are owner occupied.

I wonder about the people driving this study. I have looked up Leigh Featherstone on Terranet. I see she is the owner occupier of a 1930 property in Westmere. I wonder what rating that property has and what it costs her to heat it.

The problem in Auckland is that if tenants fail to adequately ventilate a dwelling properly ie closed windows in bathrooms and bedrooms, in the winter, in particular, there will almost certainly be some mould despite the inherent health and insulation measures adopted in the dwelling. I am not aware of any wider consultation on this idea and so it worries me that it is yet another "knee - jerk" potentially expensive measure (for landlords and ultimately tenants) designed to dissuade landlords from investing in rental housing stock so desperately needed in NZ. A cosy little earner for a select few??